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ichobodcrane
Reviews
Recovery (2007)
I hate to see a grown man cry, but.....
I was blubbing like an idiot during the last ten minutes of this exceptional piece of television. I have to say that the idea of sitting down to view 90 minutes of what was bound to be pretty depressing material on a Sunday, was not a welcome one. The thought of yet another, over worthy, BAFTA winning possibility did not enthuse me......However the end result knocked me for 6. This is some of the best television I have seen in ages. For years I was under the impression that all originality had left the BBC's drama department. Our Friends in the North was the last production that truly blew me away and that was 10 years ago. However faith is restored and honour is satisfied. David Tenant was incredible! So many actors I can think of would have really gone to town on a part like this, but never once did I see Mr Tenant as an actor or as the Doctor, all I saw was Alan Hamilton. I haven't had my heart wrenched this much since Daniel Craigs performance as Geordie Peacock all those years ago. Sarah Parish was also incredible and I really hope this role brings her better roles in the future. All of the cast were great but special mention must go to the director who really placed us inside Alans head. The toaster scene, in particular, made me feel quite queasy.
The Tale of Tarquin Slant (2004)
Tales of the Unexpected meets Tales of the Crypt
Maybe it's me and not Tarquin, whose eye is too big for his belly because after seeing this nasty little oddity, I wanted more.
Remember those fine old Amicus trilogies of Terror, well Tarquin Slant should have been part of one of those. In fact if Peter Cushing could have played Tarquin's dad, they might have been given the budget for two more stories.
The writer and director certainly have a flair for the macabre as they manage to embed a deep rooted sense of unpleasantness to the proceedings without ever being violent or gruesome, Quite a trick these days. This is the sort of film I would imagine a young Tim Burton to be making.
I caught this at a special screening in Edinburgh last summer but I have no idea how to see it again. Hopefully now it's on the IMDb it will get the recognition it deserves, and maybe one day they can complete the trilogy of terror I was hungry for.
Hellboy (2004)
Absolutley Amazing !!!
WOW! What a film. I don't write many reviews but once in a while (you know, when the pigs fly across a blue moon), a movie comes along that reminds why you love 'em.
I had heard of Hellboy as a comic but had always looked at it with mixed doubt but now I will be setting off henceforth, straight to the nearest Forbidden Planet, to get the lot.
What an amazing idea for a superhero. Perfect casting. Ron Perlman is incredible. You never want him to leave the screen. In the wrong hands this could have been embarrassing however del Toro gets the mix absolutely right. Great humour, great villains, great action and great plot. If only he could get to direct Preacher or Hellblazer.
I loved Spiderman, Xmen even Hulk but now they feel quite redundant compared to this. A new benchmark in superhero storytelling has been set, against which all others will be counted.
Bring on Hellboy 2
Tombstone (1993)
Val Kilmers finest hour....so far...
"I'm your Huckleberry." I watched this again yesterday after nearly ten years since the first time. It was like meeting up with good friend. Val Kilmer's Doc Holiday is one of the finest characters in motion picture history.Every line he utters is a gem. The director manages to get the very best from all the actors used. Powers Boothe is mesmerising as Curly Bill. He should play the Joker in the next Batman movie. Did anyone else notice the the similarities between him and original Joker, Caesar Romero. I never thought Burt and Kirk's Gunfight at the OK Corale could be bettered but this is a "Daisy." Bring back Michael Beihn. I haven't seen him in anything for ages. His Johnny Ringo is great. Just as psychotic as his role in the Abyss. Only one thing wrong with this and that's Bill Paxton. Not because he plays it badly, it's just that Morgan was not a good role to play.
The Actors (2003)
Michael Caine. A comic wonder.
At first I thought this film was going to annoy me.It was as though I had seen this movie somewhere before. The disillusioned hero, the father figure and the 9 year old sister who is older and wiser than her years (see Gregory's girl), but then, not 15 minutes in, it became a laugh out loud, comic gem of a movie. Dylan Moran (who I thought was just going to bug me) was excellent. As was Mr Gambon and the mad Scottish hitman. Lena Headey was extremely sexy. For half of the film I was trying to remember where I'd seen her before. The Parole officer. She has the most amazing smile. But clearly the true hero of this film is Mr Caine. This man should do much more comedy. This ranks alongside some of his best comedy roles (Without a Clue, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels). He is a pleasure to watch in all of his scenes but especially the end.
No one can quite say f**k the way Michael can.
Deep Rising (1998)
Pure entertainment for the monster fan
I rented this recently and loved every bit of it from it's tongue in cheek extra clichéd action types to it's fabulously over the top gore. You can see here, exactly where Stephen Sommers is coming from and where he will go. The Mummy had exactly the same style and sense of humour. Treat Williams is fantastic in this. This is one under rated actor. Why is he not in more great flicks? His comedy is superb and he looks the action hero. Remember Things to do in Denver. Anyone who likes a good old monster movie should sit back and pamper themselves with this cracking good yarn.
Darkness Falls (2003)
A damn fine scary movie.10 out of 10
So I rent Darkness Falls and then I start to worry. I like horror movies I tell myself but then I remember Feardotcom and Jeepers Creepers 2 and I start to fear that Darkness Falls will be as bad as they were. So I check out the IMDB for the trustee reviews. These aren't professional critics I tell myself. They have no agenda to stick to. But the IMDB told me this film was bad, I mean bad. 4.4 average and over 330 users giving this film a 1. So I resigned myself to the fact that I had rented another dud. Boy was I wrong!
This film genuinely scares. The back-story beginning is fantastic. If you are as jaded as me you start to think 'this could be so good, or it could be as bad as the very worst parts of Freddy's career. Then the first scene starts and the tension is huge. Every kid must have been afraid of the dark at some stage so I can imagine everybody feels for young Kyle here. And then you meet the Tooth Fairy. What a cracking horror villain. I love the fact she is a vengeful spirit. Not a monster not a slasher but a good old fashioned angry ghost. She looks great. You can tell Stan Winston was more involved here than in just the design, because the Tooth Fairy seems to resemble Pumpkinhead, not in appearance but in the way she swoops in on her prey.
All the actors are unknowns and are all fine especially the child actors. The fear they show is amazing. The teenagers seem to take the paranormal in their stride but the kids here show real terror and it rubs off onto the audience. The 'stay in the light' rule was fantastic just as well used here as in the season 1 X file episode, again titled, 'Darkness Falls'.
My only real problem with the film is the ending. I won't tell you how it happens but if I had directed this, all would have died and the ghost would have fulfilled her curse.
This is not your average ho hum run of the mill horror; this is great, fast paced, chilling entertainment. One more thing. Please don't tell anyone, but...me and the wife slept with the light on last night.
Johnny English (2003)
A bit of a letdown
This could have made a very fine TV comedy series. Sadly it's just too much too soon. Too many gags and not enough substance. There are some great moments and the cast are fine but it just left me feeling sorry for British slapstick. I will now rent Bean in the hope that it restores my faith in Rowan Atkinson.
Frailty (2001)
Tremendous!!!
What a film. This gets everything right. Genuinely disturbing and ends perfectly. All the cast are inspired and it's always nice to see Powers in a good role. Where do you find child actors this good? C'mon Bill give us another
Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
Not sure what to think.....
Let it be known. I love Halloween. Ever since I saw it as a teenager I've been quite obsessive about it. The music, the mask and Donald Pleasance have never been far from my mind so rating Resurrection has been very tricky.
Let it also be known that I loved 2 and even 3, hated 4, despised 5 loathed 6 and adored H20. So again this made Resurrection trickier still.
I think the best way to do this is via pro's and con's.
Pros:
Link to H20 was very well handled indeed. The mask is the best it has been since number 2. Busta Rhymes was most entertaining. Michael on the whole was very effective. (Maybe too mush emphasis was used on him studying death).
Cons:
The beginning was poor. Laurie Strode was too important for it end like that. I felt nothing for any of the victims. I almost felt sorry for Michael, having these idiots in my house would have driven me to murder. The end was awful. We should at least be left with the uncertainty of whether he is dead or not.
So in the scheme of things Resurrection is fifth best out of eight.
That boiler suit must be stinking by now!!!
The Ninth Gate (1999)
If you liked Angel Heart this is for you...
I was pleasantly surprised by this.
The reviews I had read were fairly negative. Again I find myself wondering if they saw the same film I did.
This is a good all round supernatural thriller that never goes over the top. Some of the imagery is superb (the chateaux at night surrounded by flaming torches in particular). Frank Langella was magnificent almost resembling Christopher Lee at times. All the cast were excellent (don't mess with Lena Olin) but the jewel in the crown was the score. Forgive my spelling but Wojciech Kilar's music is genius. His 'Bram Stoker's Dracula' was one of the finest soundtracks ever and this came very close.
There is always something great about films concerning the devil. They carry an atmosphere that can never be replicated in other genre movies. Rosemary's Baby had it, Angel Heart had it, The Omen had it and I'm glad to say The Ninth Gate has it.
Now all we need is a damn good remake of The Devil Rides Out.
Versus (2000)
Vintage Peter Jackson is alive and kicking in Hong Kong
Braindead eat your heart out.
This film is quite staggering. Someone once said to me that Desperado was great purely due to the inventiveness of the way characters died. Well this has to be the king of them all. Not only did they have to come up with one death for each actor but then they would rise up again and have an even better one.
It's a pity that more people won't see this film. I see that at the time I write this, only 648 people have voted on it even though it was made 3 years ago. We must market it ourselves people! I just hope that everyone who has voted, have sold it to there families and friends.
I used to shy away from subtitled movies but in the last two months I've seen Ring, The Eye, Battle Royale, and now the cream of the crop, Versus. I vow to change my naive ways and to sample more.
Bring on Ichi The Killer.
Harlequin (1980)
Superb !
I saw this film in my youth and after years of searching for it, finally taped it off the telly. Robert Powel is exceptional as the title character as is David Hemmings as the senator. There are a few films out there that can just bewitch you as you're watching them, The Wickerman being the best example, but this one comes very close. If you see this little gem airing on your TV in the wee small hours I urge you to tape it.